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Spare Times for Feb. 24-March 1

Discovery Times Square: ‘The Dead Sea Scrolls: Life and Faith in Biblical Times’ (through April 15) An additional 10 scrolls, including Greek Minor Prophets and Job Targum, have been added to the other ancient artifacts from Israel that are on view in this exhibition. Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with the box office closing one hour before the closing time. 226 West 44th Street, Manhattan, (866) 987-9692, discoverytsx.com; $27; $22.50 for 65+; $19.50 for children 4 to 12; free for children under 4.

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum: ‘With Bravery and Distinction: The African-American Journey in Sea, Air and Space’ (through Wednesday) In celebration of Black History Month, this guided tour of the museum’s artifacts will focus on the contributions of African-American members of the military, with special attention given to those noted for bravery and innovations. That includes Jesse LeRoy Brown, the first African-American naval combat pilot, who was killed during the Korean War; and John Henry Turpin, known as Dick and born in 1876, who was one of the Navy’s first African-American chief petty officers and who assisted with the invention of the underwater cutting torch. The tour is recommended for those 6 and older, and reservations are recommended. Tuesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Pier 86, 46th Street and 12th Avenue, Clinton, (877) 957-7447, intrepidmuseum.org; the tour fee, in addition to museum admission, is $20 or $15 for children 3 to 17; museum admission ranges from $12 to $24 (free for active and retired military members and children under 3). Tour reservations: intrepidmuseum.org/The-Intrepid-Experience/Guided-Tours.aspx.

Morris-Jumel Mansion: Swing Dancing (Saturday) The second part of a swing dancing series focusing on its history and Harlem roots will take place at 1 p.m. Co-sponsored by the Harlem Swing Dance Association, the event, part of the museum’s Black History Month programming, will feature a dance lesson, refreshments and a presentation by Jonathan Gill, a scholar and author of “Harlem: The Four Hundred Year History From Dutch Village to Capital of Black America.” 65 Jumel Terrace, at Sylvan Terrace, Washington Heights, (212) 923-8008, morrisjumel.org; free.

Museum at Eldridge Street: Kreplach and ‘Hester Street’ (Sunday) Comfort food and comforting stories are the focus of an afternoon with members of the Feed Me a Story project. Participants will make kreplach and share favorite stories from noon to 2 p.m. Space is limited, and reservations are requested at (212) 219-0888, Ext. 205. At 3 p.m., the 1975 film “Hester Street,” by Joan Micklin Silver, will be screened. Admission to each event is $10, or $8 for students and 62+, which includes museum admission. 12 Eldridge Street, Lower East Side, eldridgestreet.org.

Museum of Jewish Heritage: ‘The Role of the Critic’ (Wednesday) Lionel Trilling, who died in 1975, was considered by many to be one of America’s most notable literary critics. At 7 p.m. Adam Kirsch, an editor, columnist and author of “Why Trilling Matters,” and Judith Shulevitz, an editor, columnist and author of “The Sabbath World: Glimpses of a Different Order of Time,” will discuss Trillings’s legacy and his significance in the literary world today. This event is co-sponsored by Columbia University’s Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies. 36 Battery Place, Lower Manhattan, (646) 437-4200, mjhnyc.org; $10, or $5 for members.

Museum of the City of New York: ‘Cecil Beaton: The New York Years’ (through April 22) For the 50 years that Cecil Beaton made New York his second home, he sought the area where fashion, design and photography overlap. A Cambridge-educated man about town, Beaton easily navigated New York society to find opportunities to use his talent and creativity across artistic disciplines. He photographed movie stars for Vogue and Vanity Fair, published volumes of his diaries and designed costumes and film sets (winning two Academy Awards in the process). This exhibition celebrates Beaton’s aesthetic and features a collection of his celebrity portraits — intimate black-and-white photographs that often incorporate mirrors and reflective surfaces — that capture glamorous subjects like Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and his old flame Greta Garbo. A number of his self-portraits, caricatures and costumes are also on display. Museum hours: from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and Sundays, and until 8:30 p.m. on Saturdays, Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street, (212) 534-1672, mcny.org. Free with suggested admission: $10; $6 for students and 65+; free for children 12 and under and members.

New-York Historical Society: The 13th Amendment (Friday through Sunday, Tuesday through Thursday) On view at the Society through April 1 is a rare handwritten copy, signed by Lincoln, of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery. Viewing hours are Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $15, $12 for teachers, $10 for students, $5 for those 7 to 13, and free for children under 7; through March 31, visitors showing a MetroCard will receive two-for-one adult admissions. 170 Central Park West, at 77th Street, (212) 873-3400, nyhistory.org.

New York Transit Museum: ‘ElectriCity: Powering New York’s Rails’ (continuing) A historical display of items from the museum collection, including switches and circuit breakers, that illustrates how electricity powers the subway system. Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, (718) 694-1600, mta.info/mta/museum; $7; $5 for those ages 2 to 17 and 62+; free for members and for 62+ on Wednesdays.

Paley Center for Media: Academy Awards Screenings and Viewing Party (Saturday and Sunday) “DocuDay New York 2012” will feature screenings of most Academy Award-nominated documentaries, with features on Saturday and short subjects on Sunday; the screenings, which begin each day at 12:05 p.m., are included in museum admission: $10; $8 for students; $5 for children under 14; and free for members of the Center and the International Documentary Association, co-sponsor of the event. And if you’re looking for an Oscars party to attend on Sunday, look no farther. Two members of the cultural news staff of The New York Times — A. O. Scott, a chief film critic, and David Carr, a media columnist — will offer commentary and insights during the broadcast at a gathering beginning at 7 p.m. And if you’re watching the Academy Award telecast from another location, you can still hear what Mr. Scott and Mr. Carr have to say at oscars.nytimes.com. 25 West 52nd Street, Manhattan, (212) 621-6800, paleycenter.org; $40, or $25 for members.

Paley Center for Media: ‘Hey, Hey, Hey ... It’s Bill Cosby’ (through March 4) The last part of this screening series celebrating the 50th anniversary of Mr. Cosby’s show business career features a triple-bill: his 1969 special “Hey, Hey, Hey, It’s Fat Albert”; highlights from his appearances on variety and talk shows; and “Cosby on Prejudice,” a 1971 monologue. Wednesday through Sunday at 12:30 p.m., 25 West 52nd Street, Manhattan, (212) 621-6800, paleycenter.org; $10; $8 for students; $5 for children under 14; and free for members.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: Obama Administration and the Economy (Saturday) How have the policies of the Obama administration affected our economy, and how have they compared with other administrations? That will be discussed by a group including Ta-Nehisi Coates, a senior editor at The Atlantic; Adam Serwer, a reporter for Mother Jones; and William Jelani Cobb, a professor at Rutgers University and author of ’‘The Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress.” At 4 p.m., 515 Lenox Avenue, at 135th Street, Harlem, (212) 491-2040. free, but registration is suggested at schomburgcenter.eventbrite.com.

Gardens

New York Botanical Garden: ‘Caribbean Garden’ (through Feb. 26) When you step into the warmth of the Conservatory, you just might be able to forget that a train or a car, and not a DC-10, whisked you to a garden of Caribbean blooms. Among the varieties to evoke warmer climes are red and yellow hibiscus, pineapple and palm. Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Bronx River Parkway, Exit 7W, and Fordham Road, the Bronx, (718) 817-8700, nybg.org; $20, or $18 for students and 65+; $8 for children 2 to 12; members and children under 2, free.

Events

Black History Month at City College: Ben Vereen, Jazz, History and Hip-Hop (Friday through Wednesday) An array of cultural events will celebrate Black History Month on the uptown campus of the City College of New York and at the Center for Worker Education in Lower Manhattan. “Is Hip Hop History?,” a symposium with scholars, artists, businesspeople and students, will take place on Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Center for Worker Education; it costs $20 for one day or $30 for both, or $10 and $20 for students with I.D. On Friday at 7:30 p.m. on the uptown campus, a free jazz concert will feature George Brandon and the Blue Unity Orchestra playing the music of the Panamanian composer Jorge Sylvester and the Afro-Caribbean Experimental Collective in the North Academic Center Ballroom. On Monday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the actor Ben Vereen will discuss the history of the black minstrel and his role portraying the vaudevillian Bert Williams at a free event in Aaron Davis Hall on the uptown campus; reservations: (212) 650-8117 or (212) 650-5352. And the exhibition “The Long Walk to Freedom,” honoring the contributions to the civil rights movement of 16 individuals, including the former Manhattan borough president, C. Virginia Fields; the singer Matthew Jones; and the union activist Moe Foner, will be on view in Aaron Davis Hall through Wednesday, daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reservations for a closing reception on Tuesday, planned from 5 to 6:30 p.m., can be obtained at (212) 459-1854. City College of New York, West 135th Street and Convent Avenue, Hamilton Heights; www1.ccny.cuny.edu/current/events/index.cfm. Center for Worker Education, 25 Broadway, seventh floor, Lower Manhattan, (212) 925-6625, ccny.cuny.edu.

‘Changed My Name’: A Gospel Cantata (Sunday) In celebration of Black History Month, the Middle Church Choir, directed by Jonathan Dudley, will perform this cantata by Linda Twine, who was inspired by spirituals and the lives of the abolitionists Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth. At 11:15 a.m., Middle Collegiate Church, 112 Second Avenue at Seventh Street, East Village, (212) 477-0666, middlechurch.org; free.

The East Village Other: Exhibition and Discussion (Tuesday and continuing through March 16) The East Village Other, a biweekly underground paper published from the mid-1960s through the early 1970s, is the focus of an exhibition opening on Wednesday at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, 20 Cooper Square, sixth floor, between Fifth and Sixth Streets, East Village. The exhibition, “Blowing Minds: The East Village Other, the Rise of Underground Comix, and the Alternative Press, 1965-1972,” includes original copies of the paper, as well as covers of select issues and items from the paper’s Second Avenue office. On Tuesday a discussion from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. will feature some of the paper’s writers, editors and founders, including Claudia Dreifus, a scholar and contributor to the Science Times section of The New York Times; Steven Heller, a former art director at The New York Times and now a contributing writer to The New York Times Book Review and a co-chair and consultant at the School of Visual Arts in New York; the artist Alex Gross; Dan Rattiner, a founder of the paper; and Ed Sanders, the poet, activist and member of the Fugs. Reservations are requested at (212) 998-8044 or panuska@nyu.edu. The exhibition, also free, can be viewed Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; eastvillageother.org.

‘Fashion at FIAF’ (Tuesday, through April 14) Presented through April by the French Institute Alliance Française, this program devoted to fashion will feature film screenings, an art exhibition and designer talks. Screenings of films that have had an influence on the French fashion designer Agnès b. continue this Tuesday with “Golden Marie” (“Casque d’Or”) (1952), directed by Jacques Becker, starring Simone Signoret; the film, which is in French with English subtitles, will be shown at 12:30, 4 and 7:30 p.m. “Jean-Philippe Delhomme: Dressed for Art,” a display of drawings and paintings by the artist, will open on Friday and be on view through April 14 at the gallery at Gould Hall; it is free and can be viewed Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Most events in the program will take place at Gould Hall, 22 East 60th Street, but some are planned for the Katie Murphy Amphitheater of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Seventh Avenue and 27th Street, Manhattan. Screening tickets are $10, $7 for students or free for members (or $2 for advance tickets). (800) 982-2787, (212) 355-6160, fiaf.org.

‘Giving Music a Face’: Art Exhibition at Deutsches House (continuing through March 30) David Friedmann, an Austrian-born artist known for his portrait work in Berlin in the 1920s and ’30s, often used musicians and composers as his subjects. Many portraits he created were lost or destroyed during the Holocaust, but he survived exile, deportation and several concentration camps; he died at 86 in 1980. Through the efforts of his daughter, Miriam Friedman Morris (the family dropped the second “n” after moving to the United States), and others, some of his early artwork was recovered, and reproductions of it and an original piece are on display at New York University’s Deutsches Haus. The exhibition can be viewed Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Deutsche Haus, 42 Washington Mews, New York University, Greenwich Village, (212) 998-8660, dhnyu.org; free.

Ice Theater of New York: Gender on the Rink (Wednesday) Gender roles in figure skating: That’s the theme to be explored in a display by the Ice Theater of New York as part of its free winter performance series. It begins at 1 p.m., with the best viewing above the rink; the rain date is Thursday. Other shows are planned for March 14 and April 4. Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue, between 49th and 50th Streets, (212) 929-5811, icetheatre.org.

‘The Japanese-American Internment Project: If They Came for Me Today’ (Friday and Monday through Thursday, through March 12) You do not have to have been interned in a camp for Japanese-Americans during World War II to learn about that experience. An exhibition on those who lived through it, as well as the writers and artists who’ve kept the memory of that time alive, is on view through March 12. The display, which includes portraits and texts that tell the stories of 14 individuals affected by the wartime policy, is presented by Community Works NYC; it was begun by the organization’s Western branch, Community Works West, and has been on view at several locations in California. The first New York stop for the show is at the Interchurch Center, 475 Riverside Drive, at 119th Street; it is scheduled to go to the City College of New York in late May. Related events are planned in conjunction with the display, along with the addition of stories of New Yorkers with ties to the internment camps. Viewing hours are Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment. (212) 459-1854, communityworksnyc.org; free.

‘Mad. Sq. Art’ (through March 12) Those animal sounds and images in Madison Square Park may not be the real thing. They could be among the animated video projections drawn from nature by the Dutch artist Jacco Olivier that are on display throughout the park, daily from 6 a.m. to midnight. The free display is part of the Madison Square Park Conservancy’s public art program. Madison and Fifth Avenues, between 23rd and 26th Streets, (212) 538-1884, madisonsquarepark.org.

‘Meet the Oscars, Grand Central’ (through Sunday) For those who want to indulge in Oscarmania, this exhibition on the award, which includes Michael Douglas’s 1988 best-actor trophy for ’‘Wall Street,” will be on view in Vanderbilt Hall through the weekend. In addition to eyeing the awards on display, visitors will be able to pose for photographs with them. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Vanderbilt Avenue and 42nd Street, grandcentralterminal.com; free.

‘Mind Over Manhattan’ (Saturdays through March 10) The mentalist Marc Salem will mix mind games with wit and showmanship in a series of Saturday performances at the Society for Ethical Culture. At 8 p.m., 2 West 64th Street, Manhattan, (800) 745-3000, ticketmaster.com; $25 to $60.

‘Naked’ Polar Bear Cruise (Saturday) For the fourth year a Circle Line sightseeing cruise is setting sail and members of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club are stripping down (to their bathing suits) to raise money for the Wildlife Conservation Society. Polar Bear participants, who ride the boat for free, will raise varying amounts of money for each minute they withstand the cold. Spectators who choose to stay warm during the cruise to the Statue of Liberty can purchase tickets for $20 at circleline42.com. Boarding is at 10:30 a.m., with the boat setting sail at 11 a.m. from West 42nd Street at 12th Avenue, Clinton, (212) 630-8102.

National Eating Disorders Association Events (Monday through Wednesday) Next week the Association is commemorating its 25th year of raising awareness about eating disorders with several free events planned at Pace University, 1 Pace Plaza, Lower Manhattan. On Monday at 6:30 p.m., a screening of “America the Beautiful,” a 2007 documentary by Darryl Roberts about Americans’ obsession with beauty, will be shown at the Student Union. On Tuesday at 7 p.m., the 2011 documentary “Someday Melissa” by Jeffrey Cobelli, will be shown in the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts, 3 Spruce Street; reservations are recommended at (212) 575-6200. And on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., “Phat Girls,” a play about weight and body image by Debbie Lamedman, will be performed in the Multipurpose Room. Discussions will follow each presentation. And to celebrate the work of the organization, the Empire State Building with glow with the group’s colors, green and blue, on Tuesday, beginning with an 11 a.m. ceremony. myneda.org.

92YTriBeCa: Melvin Van Peebles (Saturday) Melvin Van Peebles has worn many cultural hats over his long career: writer, director, actor and composer. On Saturday he will be on hand to discuss and present some of the work that he has created. At 7 p.m. he will introduce a screening of his first feature film, “The Story of a Three-Day Pass” (“La Permission” 1968) and then take part in a question-and-answer session. He will follow that with an appearance with his band, Laxative, at 9 p.m. Tickets are $12 for the screening and discussion, $15 for the concert, or $22 for both. 200 Hudson Street, at Canal Street, (212) 601-1000, 92ytribeca.org/daytime.

‘Political Subversities’ (Saturday) How many politicians does it take to change a light bulb? We’ll defer that answer to the actors, writers, singers and comedians who make light of politics in the show “Political Subversities,” playing Saturdays at 9:30 p.m. through May at the People’s Improv Theater. The show, which was conceived by the playwright and composer Elizabeth Swados, features music, skits and monologues drawn from the political news of the day, performed by a troupe of 11 — many of whom studied with Ms. Swados. People’s Improv Theater, 123 East 24th Street, Manhattan, (212) 563-7488, thepit-nyc.com; $15.

Roosevelt Island Photography Show (through March 18) On display at the Octagon Gallery is the work of Dannielle Hayes, a photographer who documented the abandoned hospital buildings of Welfare Island (as Roosevelt Island was formerly called) in 1968. The exhibition, “Windows on Welfare Island,” which consists of 19 color-infused photographs of the architectural remains, will be on view daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Octagon Gallery, 888 Main Street, Roosevelt Island, (212) 688-4836, rihs.us; free.

‘Will to Create, Will to Live: The Culture of Terezin’ (Monday) During the Holocaust, the ghetto of Terezin was known as a holding point for Czech Jews bound for death camps, but it was also the site of much artistic creation. “Will to Create, Will to Live: The Culture of Terezin,” a series that began last month highlighting this creativity, has included a historical display of reproductions of performance posters as well as original artifacts like ticket stubs, currency and identification cards. This is the last chance to view the exhibition, with public viewing hours set for Monday from noon to 4 p.m. Ticket holders can also view the display on the days when they are attending events. 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue, (212) 415-5500, 92y.org; free.

Spoken Word

92nd Street Y: Gloria Steinem (Tuesday) Ms. Steinem will talk about her life and work with Budd Mishkin, NY1 correspondent and host of “One on 1 With Budd Mishkin.” At 8 p.m., 1395 Lexington Avenue, (212) 415-5500, 92y.org; $29.

Rock and Theater Forum (Monday) The blending of theater and rock will be discussed and demonstrated by three performers who have done just that — Stew and Heidi Rodewald, who together wrote “Passing Strange” and whose new musical, “The Total Bent,” is playing at the Public Theater; and Michael Cerveris, who won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for “Assassins” and who will appear in the Broadway revival of “Evita” this spring. At 9:30 p.m., Joe’s Pub, at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, at Astor Place, East Village, (212) 967-7555, publictheater.org; $20 or $15 for members.

Walking Tours

Harlem Walking Tours (Saturday and Sunday) Two tours focusing on the history and cultural significance of the area are scheduled for this weekend. On Saturday, “Harlem Renaissance,” sponsored by the Municipal Art Society, will meet near the statue of Adam Clayton Powell Jr. at the intersection of 125th Street and Seventh Avenue, (212) 935-3960, mas.org/tours; $15, or $10 for members. On Sunday, Big Onion Walking Tours will meet for a tour at 11 a.m. on the northwest corner of 135th Street and Lenox Avenue, (888) 606-9255; bigonion.com; $18, or $15 for students and 63+.

Movie Sites Tour (Saturday and Sunday) To celebrate Academy Awards weekend, NYC Discovery Tours is offering tours of filming sites of famous movie scenes, on the west and east sides of Manhattan. The eastside tour, on both days at noon, includes locations associated with “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “Urban Cowboy” and a James Bond getaway scene; the westside, on both days at 2:30 p.m., features sites from “Ghostbusters,” “You’ve Got Mail” and “The Way We Were.” The meeting places will be given with reservations: (212) 465-3331. Fee for each: $20.

Shorewalkers: ‘Great Bridges of Manhattan’ (Saturday) If a 12-hour, moderately paced stroll is to your liking, you can join like-minded walkers on a tour across all of the bridges to Manhattan — a route of more than 27 miles — that will meet at 9 a.m. at the George Washington Bridge Port Authority Bus Station, Fort Washington Avenue, between 178th and 179th Streets, Washington Heights. Walkers should take along water, food and a MetroCard. (917) 783-6540 or (212) 330-7686, shorewalkers.org; $3 donation.

‘Union Square: Crossroads of New York’ (Saturday) A tour focusing on the area’s political history meets at 2 p.m. by the statue of Lincoln in Union Square Park, near the 16th Street transverse. Sponsored by the Union Square Partnership, (212) 517-1826, unionsquarenyc.org; free.

Recreation

New York Road Runners: Al Gordon Classic (Saturday) Living the group’s motto, “run for life,” Al Gordon, a board member and benefactor of the New York Road Runners, started running marathons in his 80s and lived to 107. This four-mile run in his honor begins at 8 a.m. on the Center Drive in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Refreshments are available at the postrace festival. Credentials can be picked up at the New York Road Runners, 9 East 89th Street, Manhattan, on Friday from 1 to 7 p.m., or in Brooklyn on Saturday from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. at P.S. 154 on Windsor Place and 11th Avenue, Windsor Terrace. Advance fees are $37, $23 for members and $15 for those 18 and younger and 62+ on Friday, or $40, $25 and $20 on Saturday. Prospect Park and Center Drive, (212) 423-2249, nyrr.org. ANNE MANCUSO

Information on events for possible inclusion in Spare Times can be sent to weekend@nytimes.com. Expanded lists of Around Town and For Children events are available at nytimes.com/events.